The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-06-14
LITTLE DROPS OF WATER,
Make the Mighty Ocean, Mar the
BeauteOuS Land.
Friday Nights Storm of Rain
and Lightning Locally
Treated.

preliminaries were about as usual,
during the afternoon of the day. The
air was heavy, vagrant clouds hung
idly near the earth, the wind was I'M
perceptible and all nature seemed to
be in that hush, which generally pre-
faces a storm. About 3 o'clock the
clouds began to gather into ominous
force in the west, and shortly after
ward they spread all over the sky in
that quarter, and began to ad-
vance eastward. At halt-past FIVE,
it was so dark in this city
that the electric light was turned on,
of ces,ity, and other means of
illumination were used by those hav-
ing them.
At at quarter to six, the rain be-
gan, and continued with extraordinary
violence for more than three-quarters
of an hour. Then it subsidized for a
while, and gradually, ceased about
nine o'clock. The lightning was fear
fully vivid and sharp at times, and
the torrents of water, which fell, over
flowed all the low places in town, and
did great damage to cellars, and
articles stored away in them. This
was especially the fact along the
course of Pearl River, a stream which
is confined in its devious way, through
the city proper, by sewer pipe of In
adequate dimensions.
the lightning, during the early
part of the heaviest rain, struck the
barn of William Smith, the Second
street butcher, which is situated near
the Sedalia brewery, in the north
western section of the city. In the
structure at the time was Isaac White,
a negro hostler, employed by Mr..
Smith. There were also two horses,
several tons of hay, large quantity
of corn and oats, some harness and
other articles not now remembered.
White was considerably shocked by
the thunderbolt, but made his escape
from the barn, which took fire and in
a few minutes had consumed horses,
hay, grain and all. Mr.. Smith esti
mates his loss at 81 900, and carried
an insurance of $500, in
the Citizens. of Pittsburg.
About half-past seven, chimney
on the residence of Mr.. A. K. Laird
corner of Fifteenth and Hancock
streets was struck by lightning. The
electric fluid followed down the four
valleys in the roof, and then wen
in the ground. MIR. Laird was stand
ing On his porch at the time and saw
one section of the lightning, after
leaving the roof, strike tile leadin:
to the cistern, and within two feet o
where he stood. The tile was shat
tered fine enough for sand paper. Mr.
Laird's damage to the house and car
pets is put at 800, which is amply
covered by insurance in Freeport
ILL.,. company.
A fine mich cow, belonging t
II. r. Barrett, the dairyman, wa:
killed by the lightning while she wa
standing near hedge in the pasture
of Mr.. Barrett, in southwest SedaIis
The streets In low localities wer,
miniature lakes, and pedestrians wer
unable to navigate, for a time, with
out considerable annoyance ant
wetitude.
All along Pearl river, once peace
full and alIegedly purling rivulet, Blu
now cribbed, csbined and confined il
twelve-inch drain pipe, the overflow
wa. immense and disastrous. Tn,
BAzoo counting and press rooms wer
flooded, and the Easements of tn
business houses skirting the sweetly
named stream were more or les
damaged by the excessive water.
The depot platform was
miniature swimming park, for awhile
and the cellars In the vicinity, lowe
than the railroad tracks, caught more
than their full quota of the repute'
temperance elixir.
Laupheimer, at Main and Ken
lucky, is said to have been damaged
81 900 worth of wool.
Rembaugh, the miller, at Main AM
Moniteau. counts up about $500 dam
ages to grain in his bins.
City Surveyor johnson says tn
rain was powerful agent in MAXIM
the city healthy, by washing out th
filthy alleys. But he didn't say wher
the filth was washed to.
Quite a number of fine shad
trees were broken down b.
the excessive weight of the rail-
which fell upon them.
The overflow seemed to have com
in time to poke up the city council
on the sewer.
The northwest corner of Seventl
.nd Obio csupht III apain It oene,